Chou Kurimuzon
by Bekahbee
Summary: Wandering into a dark forest, alone and unable to find their way back, twins accidentally stumble across the deity statues that lead to The Lost Village. Chapter two posted.
1. Crimson Butterflies

"No! Leave her alone!" Ren shouted. She watched in horror as her father began to beat her sister, throwing her against the wall reluctantly.

Sayuri cowered, curling up into a fetal position in an effort to protect herself from the abuse. After a few more moments of pure pain, at last, the torture began to subside. Their father left the bedroom.

Ren crawled over to Sayuri, pulling her dark hair away from her tear-stained face.

"It's all right, Sayuri. We'll run away tonight. And he won't be able to hurt you any more…I promise." She whispered.

When the moon was full and bright, the twin girls crept out of their home and into the dark forest. The trees were far too lush to allow any light to pass through them, so the girls wandered on through the black night.

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Yukiko stroked her little black cat. She was sitting on a ledge with her sister, Yumiko, dangling their legs in midair.

"Do you think mother will let us keep her?" Yukiko asked her twin. Yumiko shook her head. Yumiko had not spoken since their father had been killed in the war.

"Well, perhaps if we ask nicely?" She wondered. She continued petting the precious kitten. She was delighted to find that he was very receptive, purring richly as she lavished him with great attention.

Yumiko had tried to pet the cat once, but was rather taken aback when he arched his back and hissed at her. She didn't try again.

Yukiko cooed in the kitten's ear, falling more in love with him every second that he lay contented in her lap.

"Girls! Your soup is getting cold!" Their mother called to them. She retreated into their home, leaving the sliding door open.

The kitten jumped off Yukiko's lap, his little paws passing swiftly through the tall grasses.

"Oh, no…" Yukiko cried. She ran after the kitten, weaving in and out of the grasses and trees, until she found herself in the woods.

She was all alone in the dark. The kitten had disappeared. Yukiko felt around and she was relieved to have discovered her sister behind her.

But try as they might, they could not find their way back out of the forest.

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Kaosu and Kiritsu danced around in a circle, their long, ebony-black hair falling across their backs like flowing water.

They fell to the ground, panting and laughing. They rolled onto their stomachs and examined the little cicadas up in the trees. They debated on whether or not to catch them and put them in a box.

Summer evenings in the forest were wonderful. All the flowers and trees were in full blossom, the animals were curious enough to be touched, the heat of the sun was softened by the shade, and the days lasted so long, one would believe that they would never end.

This particular summer day was a breezy one, casting a musky fragrance throughout the wood. It was a sweet, dense sort of smell.

Kaosu created her own little path near a running stream, lacing her fingers through the current.

Kiritsu made a game of jumping over the stream, sprinting from side to side with little effort and great ease.

They played for a long while, not even thinking of the time, or how quickly it was passing.

And before they knew it, the darkness had come. They were stranded in the black night, not knowing where to look for traces of the familiar.

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The forest was full of secrets. Secrets it never intended to keep for long.

Sayuri was entranced by the night. And by the beautiful crimson butterflies surrounding her.

She followed them with a willing spirit.


	2. Sayuri

"Sayuri? Where are you?" Ren called into the night. She could barely see her pale hand in front of her face, but she could hear Sayuri's footsteps on the ground.

Sayuri was not aware of anything other than the simple flutter of the crimson butterflies. Their wings beating in time to her racing heart. She reached out to them and tried to catch them.

Ren called out for Sayuri, crying her name through the fog of twilight. She brushed every tree, hoping to find Sayuri sitting beneath one. She gave up after what seemed like hours, falling against the trunk of one of the trees.

She drew her knees to her chin, crying into the crook of her elbow.

Sayuri stopped at the edge of a well-worn path leading into a village. The butterflies were fading, causing her trance to evaporate with them.

She couldn't remember how she'd gotten there, or where her twin had fallen behind, but she knew the butterflies had led her to the village for a purpose.

She took a deep breath and forged ahead into the village, her eyes detecting a glimmer of light from beyond.

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Ren awoke, wondering if she was dreaming, or whether somehow she'd slipped into a time trap.

Perhaps none of this was real? Or perhaps this was the only thing that _was_ real…

She felt something touch her skin. Something soft, like a flower petal.

She dried her eyes and focused on the bright wings of a glowing butterfly.

Suddenly the fear of the unknown and the safe recovery of her sister seemed to be of little importance. The only thing that mattered now was watching the butterfly.

It was lovely and unique, unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

She would never have admitted that she was under a powerful spell. In fact, it felt so natural to follow the butterfly that Ren was quite sure it had been her idea in the first place.

Surely if she hadn't the notion to go after it, she wouldn't have.

But when at long last she reached the edge of a tiny village, and the butterfly disappeared, she realized the butterfly was simply a means of getting her to a certain place.

She felt foolish and heartbroken, that she had forgotten the well-being of her beloved Sayuri.

But she bucked up her courage and made herself continue on into the village, hoping beyond hope that her sister was there waiting for her.

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Sayuri traveled the entire length of the village, finding absolutely nothing.

The houses were torn and rotting, the wells unused and dried out. There were no signs of life to be found anywhere, and yet, torches were burning.

Altars were kept well-groomed and looking fresh.

The dead seemed to have more life than the living. But there was no one _living_ in the village.

"Sayuri!" Ren whispered. She was afraid to penetrate the deathly silence all round them. Sayuri turned to her with eyes aglow. Ren took a step back.

Sayuri blinked twice, then the light from her eyes was gone.

"Where are we?" Sayuri murmured. Memories from earlier that day began to resurface, and Sayuri was no longer interested in exploring.

"I don't know, but we should find someplace to sleep. In the morning, we can go to another village and look for work." Ren said, ushering her sister into a sturdy-looking house.

They held their noses tightly, the smell of dust and decay permeating throughout the room.

Ren pulled out a well-worn tatami mat, laying it on the ground smoothly. She pulled out another one and laid it next to the first tatami mat, edging out the creases.

Ren curled onto the mat, laying a comforting arm around her sleeping sister.

She knew that they must be safe. After all, they had managed to run away from their abusive, cruel-hearted father.

But if she had known then what she would come to know later, she would have realized that she was merely exchanging one set of danger for an even greater one.


End file.
